This invention relates to an apparatus and method for forming moldable materials including such materials as thermoplastic and thermosetting polymers, metals, certain ceramic materials and composite materials which may be formed to shape in a mold or die such as an injection mold, dicasting mold, continuous casting mold or extrusion die wherein the material is introduced therein or processed to shape in a molten or flowable condition such that it may be cause to crystallize or otherwise form a defined internal structure as, or shortly after, it attains its molded shape.
During the formation of many materials such as metals or polymers from a molten or plastic condition, imperfections frequently form in the material such as surface irregularities, cracks, internal occlusions or flaws, porosity due to the formation of gas pockets, etc. The strength of materials formed by conventional techniques is often substantially less than that which may be obtained due not only to the formation of surface and internal flaws but also to the fact that the internal structure of the material, such as its crystalline structure, is frequently imperfect. Such imperfections may result from the lack of control of the growth and formation of crystals, such as metal crystals, due to disorientation thereof or the size and arrangement of spherulites common in many polymers.